


Between You and Me

by Megane



Category: Haikyuu!!, ハイキュー!!
Genre: Blurting Out Thoughts, Burdensome Feelings, Friendship, Gen, Honesty, M/M, Miscommunication
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-29
Updated: 2014-11-29
Packaged: 2018-02-27 09:56:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2688554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megane/pseuds/Megane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yamaguchi's been friends with Tsukishima for a while. It feels like he's always been at the blond's side no matter what, but years of friendship have started to cut into Yamaguchi. If only because of how Tsukishima is: cold, direct, and so very distant from other people.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Between You and Me

**Author's Note:**

> I think I've only written one other work with either of these two in it, and I didn't even finish it. So please, for this finished work, let me know how I did.

            “Shut up, Yamaguchi.”

            “Oi... You’re talking too much.”

            “Don’t tell them that.”

            “Yamaguchi...”

 

There were no kind words that slipped from his mouth. There was no softness in his tone. That’s just how Tsukishima — no, "Tsukki" — was.

Yamaguchi always found himself smiling at the flatness, at the utter lack of emotion in Tsukki’s voice. It didn’t bother him much. Okay, yes. _At first_ , it bothered him to some extent. Tsukki had a scary presence. He wasn’t really a nice guy, but for some reason, Yamaguchi found himself drawn to the blond. Maybe it was those critical eyes, that bored expression, something about Tsukki won the brunet over. Over time? No... Rather quickly. Even when he was younger, Yamaguchi found himself drawn almost magnetically to Tsukishima, and soon, that characteristic smile sort of formed itself. It wasn’t that he was truly desperate for a friend back then.

Mn, not really...

There was something so fun in Tsukki’s brute stoicism. It was indescribable. Even now, Yamaguchi had a hard time pinning down that 'it' factor, that unnameable attraction Tsukki had. Throughout the course of their friendship, the crudeness of Tsukki’s teasing eventually rubbed off on Yamaguchi. The brunet eventually joined in in his own way, and he didn’t really feel bad. It was... fun. It was the closest he would get to outright bonding with the blond. And that made them closer. Somehow, the two got closer...

In shared lunches, in overly rough teases, in practice matches with each other—the two shared moments that made Yamaguchi smile.

But after a while, the smile took on a weary edge. Maybe it was because he watched Kageyama and Hinata dance around each other and interact on the court. Those two were awkward, loud, and strange together, but they were so alive. Tsukki was unmotivated, deliberate in his own way, and... distant. It never bothered Yamaguchi. He tried to pretend, for a while, that it still didn’t.

But...

            “Yamaguchi. Be quiet.”

It was at night when it happened. The two were sitting on Tsukishima’s floor. The blond was reading and drinking out of a can. He had been nursing that same drink for a couple of hours now. Was it even good anymore..? Yamaguchi had been rambling, admittedly, about a new video he saw. At first, he talked about his hatred for it, but as he talked more about the song and the technicalities of the video, he became more animated. Tsukishima hardly reacted, but that was always the case.

 

Tonight though, Yamaguchi just couldn’t smile at that.

 

He paused once Tsukki told him to be quiet. He slowly blinked. Tsukki raised his can up, getting ready to sip from his straw when Yamaguchi’s silence grabbed his attention.

            “What’s wrong with yo—guh?!”

Yamaguchi grabbed his collar and jerked him close. Tsukki reached his arm out and set his drink down far away. He didn’t want to spill anything on his carpet. It wasn’t his primary thought—but it was a lateral one. It was a good thing he did move his drink; Yamaguchi leaned forward and _shoved_ the taller male down with all his might.

Tsukki’s magazine flopped out of his lap and flipped uselessly away. Yamaguchi pushed his weight up, the heels of his palms digging into Tsukki’s ribcage. He grit his teeth.

            “Stop it!” Yamaguchi unwittingly yelled. It caught the blond by surprise. “Stop telling me to be quiet or shut up. Just stop it... Tsukki, I!”

Yamaguchi paused and grit his teeth together. He slowly sank down and pressed his forehead against his friend’s chest.

            “I know you can’t help it. You’ve always been that way, but it hurts me that you can’t change. For me. You can’t even change a little...?”

There was silence. Tsukki’s chest lifted as though he was going to say something, but the breath held. The brunet continued. He pushed his weight up and felt the forced depression of the blond’s chest. He’d apologise later.

            “You can’t keep berating me! In your own way, you’re cruel and mean for no reason. And I just... I want to talk to you. I want to communicate with you. We don’t get to play a lot together on the court, so I feel like this is the only time when we can really connect. Are you tired of me? Have we spent too much time together? Just tell me, Tsukki! Just tell me and I’ll go away! But stop... hating me with these quiet words. Quit pushing me away with that stone face. Just...”

Ah...

He felt the tears in his eyes, and it was terrible because he didn’t want to get that way. Yamaguchi’s fingers twitched. He gripped the other male’s shirt tighter before just letting go. Or almost. A hand smacked on his back hard and pulled him down. The breath that Tsukki held finally let go. Yamaguchi was stunned at his sudden position.

            “Idiot.”

            Yamaguchi raised up a fist and let it fall. “Weren’t you listening to what I was telling you?”

His tone was harsh but a little weak. He heard Tsukki grunt under the force of his lazy attack. It was worth it.

            Tsukishima pushed forward anyway. “You’re right. I can’t really change. Maybe give me time. Give me a month, two months—a year, a decade, I might learn to change then. But right now, this is who I am. This is all I know how to be, but if you honestly think I hate you...” He turned his head slightly, looking to the brunet. “Then you don’t know much about me in all the time we’ve been together.”

            Yamaguchi sat up slightly, brows knit together. He could feel the tears stinging still. “Tsukki...?”

            “You’re annoying when you want to be, and you worry a lot about everything I do. Sometimes I think you’re too clingy, but. You’re the only person I can stand to have beside me.”

Yamaguchi went quiet again before lowering himself down. He sighed against the blond’s chest.

            “You’re still too rough with the things you say, but if you’re being honest with me, then I’ll forgive you...”

            “Hm. Stop being dramatic. You almost made me spill my drink, you know.”

            Yamaguchi sat up and laughed a bit, rubbing his eyes. “Sorry, Tsukki...”

It continued like that, even after his outburst. Tsukki would still mutter some harsh things under his breath, but the edge started to wear off. Yamaguchi stopped carrying that burden in his chest, and things were a little better. Well, that's how he felt at least.

It was their lunchtime, and it was Tsukki’s turn to buy. Yamaguchi waited near the vending machines, checking his phone. He lifted his head when he heard rustling.

            “Tsukki!” He ran closer to his friend and came to the blond’s side. “Look what Suga-san posted on his Mixi.” He laughed a little.

            Tsukishima didn’t react.

Yamaguchi, though, was amused for the both of them. He stepped aside and continued scrolling through his timeline. Tsukki extended the bag out to him.

            “Dumplings.”

            Yamaguchi bristled in happiness. “Aah! Tsukki! Thanks a lot. Ah! Is this the one with red bean paste?! Wooow. You’re being really nice today! I’ll pay you back, I promise.”

            Tsukki scoffed and turned his head away slightly. “You’re too excited about food.” He lifted his head slightly and raised his left hand. “Don’t eat all of them. Some of those are mine.”

            “Sorry, Tsukki.” A soft smile followed as Yamaguchi handed over the bag.

            After a brief moment of rifling in the bag, Tsukki said: “It’s okay... Yamaguchi.”

His voice was softer, at least to Yamaguchi. There was something _there_ in the void of his emotions. The brunet couldn’t place it, but he _heard_ it. He appreciated it! And his smile was big, bright, and genuine. He laughed a little and nodded his head. He gave Tsukishima a break, the blond having already shoved a dumpling partially into his mouth.

 

But Yamaguchi knew now that his words had been heard. If there was any doubt, it was completely erased by the light in his smile.


End file.
